Tamil actor Ambika breaks down over sister Radha's Rs 46 crore cheque row

Days after veteran actor Radha levelled cheque fraud allegations against her sister, actor Ambika, and their brother Mallikarjuna Kunjan Nair, Ambika has responded to the claims and shared her side of the story. Dismissing Radha’s allegations as “fake” and “fabricated”, Ambika broke down in tears while addressing the media, expressing heartbreak over being portrayed as a “thief” by her own sister.Radha had recently filed a police complaint against Ambika and Mallikarjuna, alleging that her signed blank cheques kept at her Chennai residence were taken without her knowledge and used in an attempt to claim around Rs 46 crore.Responding to the allegations, Ambika questioned how Radha, whom she described as an extremely cautious person, could have left signed blank cheques at home. “Radha is a person who uses a special number lock even for her handbag. Then, when she goes to sleep, she keeps that bag in a cupboard and locks it again. It is unbelievable when such a vigilant person says she left signed cheques elsewhere,” she said.Ambika also spoke about ARS Garden Studio, which she said she and Radha had built together. She expressed her hurt over the property being renamed without informing her, saying she was devastated when she saw the ARS Garden board being removed. “When I saw the ARS Garden board being removed and another board being put up, I could not bear it. Everyone in Tamil cinema knows what ARS Garden means to me. The ‘A’ (for Ambika) in ARS Garden is gone. Why? Am I dead? No, I’m alive. Shouldn’t I have been told? She doesn’t even have that basic courtesy,” the veteran actor alleged, tearing up.The actor also opened up about earlier disputes within the family over property and gold. She alleged that a substantial amount of gold ornaments that she was entitled to remains in Radha’s possession. “When I ask about the gold I deserve, she doesn’t give a proper reply. Radha has a special weakness for gold. It’s okay to take one’s mother’s or sister’s gold once in a while. But a large amount of my gold is still with her. If I try to speak directly about it, she won’t even pick up the phone,” Ambika alleged.Their brother also backed Ambika’s statements, saying, “It was decided to divide the properties equally when our mother was alive. Radha’s method is to say nothing when spoken to directly and then change her statement later.”Ambika recalled the family’s earlier struggles and said she had played an important role in supporting them. “When we were struggling, I was the first stepping stone for the family. At one point, we believed that if there was family and a bond, we should do anything for the family. But things are not like that now. Everyone is living separately,” she said.Ambika and Radha were among the most celebrated South Indian female actors of the 1980s. Hailing from Kerala, the sisters worked across multiple languages and shared the screen with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema.Ambika is known for her performances in films such as Neelathamara, Andha 7 Naatkal, Enkeyo Ketta Kural, Sakalakala Vallavan, Vazhvey Maayam, Naan Paadum Paadal, Naan Sigappu Manithan, Uyarndha Ullam, Rajavinte Makan, Irupatham Noottandu, Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal and Mr Bharath, among others.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 19:33 IST